Toxin Tuesdays: Rat Bait

There are a lot of things out pets can get into in our homes and yard or even the outside world. Some items are benign and won’t cause any problems while others can be life threatening. We are going to take a look at some of the toxins out pets can encounter and what to do when exposures occur.

 

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Rat bait is a very common toxin that pets like to ingest. It is designed to be appetizing to animals so that the rats will in fact eat it. There are a variety of different types of rat bait available for purchase and in the very near future the active ingredient profile will be changing. If you have to have rat poison down one of the best things you can do is snap a picture of the container so that way we know what the active ingredient is and how best to treat it.

 

Bruising on a dogs belly can be from a clotting disorder (Image Source)

Some of the most common types of rat poison are those containing baits that cause issues with coagulation or blood clotting. This will terminate the rats by them slowly bleeding internally. The same is true for our pets. Symptoms usually range from lethargy, bruising, blood in stool or vomit, to coughing and inappetence. If there is rat poison in the area it is imperative that we keep our pets away from it. They can become very creative in how they ingest these materials.

 

Blood transfusions are sometimes necessary (Image Source)

 Depending on when the exposure happened will dictate treatment. If it is recent, typically within 1 hour, we can try to induce vomiting and remove as much of the bait as possible. Then we can give a material called activated charcoal to help bind remaining bait in the stomach before the pet absorbs it. We will also look at blood work to determine if the clotting factors are affected. If the clotting time is prolonged typically we can treat with vitamin K which is a precursor for many clotting factors and will help decrease the symptoms. There are severe instances where blood transfusions and supportive care are necessary. While there are treatment options pets can still succumb to this even with aggressive treatment.

 

Keep your pet happy and toxin free! (Image Source)

In the coming years this will not be the case and we will see a different ingredient profile which will change the way we treat exposures. Again, I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing the active ingredient in the rat bait used. This will prevent any unnecessary delays in treatment. If you see your pet ingest one of these toxins call your veterinarian immediately. The sooner we can start a treatment protocol the better chance we have for a positive outcome. For more information on rat poison please view the following websites here and here.